She knew that and decided that the Center for Great Neighborhoods could jump in and help.

The park will be on Huntington Avenue at Latonia Elementary, but it will extend past the current playground with equipment parents and other adults can use.

Coots and another teacher applied for a grant last summer from Fuel Up to Play 60 and received $3,700 for the initial playground plan.

The National Dairy Council and NFL sponsored the program, with the USDA. The group helps students take charge in creative changes at schools – especially those that promote healthy eating and physical activity for 60 minutes a day.

Norwood applied for a grant from Interact for Health and received $50,000 in March toward the expanded project.

In between, everyone from students Abigail Bartel and McKenzie Hallman, now fifth-graders, to community leaders and residents of Latonia has been pitching in to provide help for the project.

The school’s effort was named Cardinals Play 60, and the girls made a video to promote it. They were selected as Fuel Up to Play 60 state ambassadors.

The girls weren’t the only students involved in the mission to get a park. Coots asked teachers to have children draw pictures of their dream park to help with the concept.

Latonia residents have spent the year raising money with multiple fundraisers.

There was the Latonia 5K race, Baseball Camp, Community Paint Day and Family Fitness Nights – which Norwood coordinated. The students and school organized other community-awareness events, including Family Fuel Up Night, a McDonald’s Salad Bash, a community paint day and activity stations at the Latonia Business Association Halloween Block Party.

But Latonia residents are still contributing: More than 100 people have raised their hands to help put the park together.

“It will be a community build,” Coots said.

Initial work could begin as soon as June, Norwood said.

Principal Anthony Procaccino said the school’s goal for the project is to raise $100,000. Already, $65,000 has been raised thanks to community support, and if the school receives U.S. Housing and Urban Development funding from the city, it will have $85,000. The city of Covington will consider that option in May.

Regardless of what happens with funding, Norwood and Coots said the project has come so far, they’re certain Latonia neighbors will finally have their park – and likely will have it before school in the fall.

“Our plan had been, if we didn’t meet the fundraising deadline, we would have to extend it,” Norwood said. “We weren’t going to give up.” ⬛